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So in a moment of madness we decided to expand and add new properties to our exclusive collection at Kilcoe Cottage. Introducing Glaisin Alainn (it means beautiful meadow in English) And we are so glad we did. This is a stunning waterfront property with it’s own pebble beach, floating pontoon, slipway, hot tub and sauna. Many’s the day we have spent with the owners whiling away a West Cork summer day by the water, watching the kids sail, kayak, water-ski, pier jump and swim. Follow this with a warm up in the hot tub, a bbq on the deck in good company and a great sunset and you have the perfect West Cork vacation day.

Rocket and Bresaola Salad

If you are lucky enough to have traveled to Italy and eaten in any restaurants there, you will have seen or maybe eaten this salad. It is a mainstay on any menu. So simple yet absolutely delicious. Now I hear you on the Bresaola (cured beef) thing…. where oh where do you pick it up here in Ireland. Believe it or not I got the meat in the picture in Lidl but I have seen it in good supermarkets and delicatessens regularly. You could always improvise and use prosciutto or salami or, as I have said before, your flipping imagination (the roast potatoes pictured are me using mine)

A large piece of Parmesan cheese – No excuses here, we only use Parmigiano Reggiano

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

What you do:

Put the rocket on a big plate, scatter shavings of parmesan on top and arrange the Bresaola in an attractive way. Don’t be whinnying about not being able to display food artistically, of course you can, have confidence and it will do the work for you. Sprinkle with oil and salt and grind the pepper all over. Simple.

I have added many things to this salad to make it my own, examples being semi-sundried tomatoes, yesterdays roast potatoes sliced and crisped in butter or coconut oil or olive oil on a pan, olives etc. Be adventurous.

Christmas Nibbles: Chicken Chutney Dip

It’s Christmas Time…… Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?
…… Rockin’ around the Christmas tree……Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland…… Driving home for Christmas…

Toasted almonds add just the right nutty kick

Aaaaaaargh! Yuletide songs have been driving us mad since October, which means by now they do nothing whatsoever to get us in the Christmassey mood. So let’s try something else. Let’s cook for friends.

This year is all about spending time together as opposed to the Celtic Tiger present frenzy. So why not spoil your loved ones with something they actually need. Give them some time and attention, along with yummy home cooked food.

The following recipe is simple to make and great for sharing. Read it through before you start.

‘Movie Night’ Chicken Chutney Dip and Pita Chips.

A friend of mine gave me this recipe about twenty years ago and I must have made it hundreds of times since then. My sister even insisted on having it for the drinks reception at her wedding. You will find that people hover around the bowl pretending to chat to someone. In actual fact they are hogging the dip. You may find yourself in the roll of evictor. Grab a scoop while you wrestle with the offenders.

An oven to table gratin dish or ovenproof bowl, the right size for the volume of dip. The mixture should be at least an inch or more deep in the dish. A food processor or blender or magic wand (the electrical one not the fairy godmother one)

What you do:

Place all the ingredients EXCEPT the almonds in your available whizzer. Blend until almost smooth. (If you are using a wand chop the chicken and scallions up first) If the mixture seems a little dry add the extra 2 oz of Mayonnaise. You can taste it at this stage to check the seasoning. Put into your oven proof dish. Top with the almonds spread in a single layer and bake at 180 degrees for 10-15 minutes until it starts to bubble a little bit.

Don’t let anybody taste it unless you’re ready to have it eaten!

For the Pita Chips:

Into the food processor to whiz

1 or 2 packets of Pita Bread

Salt

Olive Oil

What you do:

Cut the pita bread into wedges (i.e. like pizza slices) I find a scissors does the job well. Pull apart to split in two single layers. Toss in a little olive oil and salt. Bake in the oven for about 5-8 minutes.

Watch it. They burn in the blink of an eye!

Of course you could just use plain tortilla chips or any crackers on-hand. Less work and more time with the movie goers.

Serve chips with warm dip and watch as human nature takes over.

In January when you are on that health kick, why not try it with low-fat mayo and vegetable sticks for dipping?

The Best Chocolate Cake in MyWorld.

chocolate cake, the finished object

Dear Reader,

This is my first attempt at a recipe blog. So please bear with me as I try to make it interesting, informative and worth the read. Having never attempted to put pen to paper, metaphorically speaking, before, this could be a complete disaster, but here goes…

As a cook the one thing I am asked for over and over again is chocolate cake. For birthdays, family get-togethers, a local knees-up, any special occasion really, the one request I get often is ‘will you make that gorgeous chocolate cake?’ So in the hope that someone else will be asked to make it next time, let us begin.

A quick note here :READ THE RECIPE THROUGH FROM START TO FINISH FIRST, AND YES, I AM SHOUTING AT YOU…

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line one 12 inch or two 9 inch tins with parchment or greaseproof paper or a dusting of flour. Set them aside. DO ALL THIS NOW (yes that’s me shouting again or, being more polite so as not to discourage you…raising my voice)

Place the chocolate in a heavy saucepan over a very low heat or in a double boiler (i.e. glass/pyrex bowl of chocolate pieces or drops sitting atop a saucepan of simmering water, bowl not touching the water) and melt gently, stirring all the time. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer (however if you have been very diligent, and not like me who has not listened to myself and isnow pulling the butter out of the fridge, and your butter is at warm-room temperature, you can do this by hand) With the mixer on a slow speed add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. If at this point the whole thing looks like curdled mush, fear not. This just means your finished productwon’t be as light and fluffy as Grannie’s. In this instance that’s a bonus. Stir in the melted chocolate.

Combine, using a sieve, the flour, bread soda and salt in a medium bowl (That’s a bowl that will actually hold the volume, nothing fancier) Now add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the chocolatey mixture alternating both. Blend gently and then add in the boiling water slowly and the vanilla. This will be a very wet mixture. Don’t over-mix, but do scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula before the next step or you will have a big gloopy bit that drops into the tin and splatters you and everything within range including your iphone.

Pour the batter into your prepared tin/s and bake in your pre-heated oven until a toothpick comes out clean. In the absence of a toothpick, use a knife or skewer or your bloomin’ imagination! This can be anywhere from 30-55 minutes depending on your tin size and oven. Open the oven at thirty minutes and gently turn the cake 180 degrees (that’s half way round to you non-math’sey people) check for done-ness. If still gooey close the door gently and check again every ten minutes or so. The beauty of this cake is, that it is better if it sinks. Dense, moist and devilishly delicious.

Cool in the tin. When cool, turn out onto your favourite big plate. Best if it’s a completely flat cake plate as whatever about sunken, you don’t need the plate to make it look like the crater in Mount Vesuvius.

For the icing, gently melt the chocolate with the butter. Add the milk slowly, mixing all the time. Sieve in the icing sugar, again stirring at intervals. Whisk gently to smooth. Now pour it on top of the cake from the middle outwards. As you get towards the edge let it run down the sides. You can then re-direct the flow by using a flat knife to spread it out if nesessary. Decorate with anything from a mound of berries and a sprig of mint in the centre, to lavish chocolate swirls or just plain old milk and white chocolate buttons.

Whatever else you do, make sure you enjoy eating it. With Love, Margie.

Lime and Ginger Torte

Here is another quickie that tastes great. Now now, don’t be rude, it’s a recipe for dessert. I got it from a friend of mine who had picked it up in a posh supermarket in the UK. This will explain the simplicity of it and the undertones of cheating……

Lime and Ginger Torte

What you need:

1 x packet of ginger snap biscuits

75g butter

100ml cream

500g mascarpone cheese

3 limes

3 tablespoons icing sugar

9” spring-form tin.

What you do:

Melt the butter in a medium sized pot. Crush the biscuits and add to the melted butter. Mix together and press into the spring-form tin as you would for cheesecake. At this point I put the base into a 160 degree oven for ten minutes as it seems to stop the base crumbling horribly when you go to cut the torte. Set aside to cool.

Whip the cream to soft peaks. Add the mascarpone cheese and blend. Grate the zest of the limes into this mix then cut the limes. Squeeze the juice of the limes into a bowl with the icing sugar. Dissolve the sugar in the juice and add to the cheese mix. The amount of times I have merrily cut the limes and then remembered that I needed the zest is too many to count. Don’t make the same mistake as the grater is not your friend with sticky fingers.

Now spread this wonderful creamy mixture on top of the ginger snap base. Decorate at will and serve. I find that making this at the last minute works well as it just isn’t as good if you refrigerate it. In truth I make everything at the last minute, but in this case it actually turns out better.